Kitchen utensil.



. the blade, and Fig. 3

same parts EUGENE w. LEAG'H, I WILLIAM KITCHEN UTENSiL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters resent No.

698,120, dated April 22,1902.

Application filedmay 2.1 901. SerielNo.68,407. .N omcdel.)

To 'aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE W. LEACH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Racine, in the county of Racine and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Kitchen Utensils, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

My invention relates particularly to chopping-knives, but is applicable to other kitchen utensils, such as meat-tenderers, cookie-cutters, &c.

The main object of the invention is to provide a chopping-knife that will do its work quickly with the expenditure of but little energy.

It consists in certain peculiarities of construction and in the arrangement and combinations-of parts hereinafter particularly described, aud pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating one of various forms in which my invention may be embodied, like letters designate the in the several figures.

Figure 1 is a partial axial section of a chopping kuife. -l ig. 2 is a perspective view of a similar view of the handle detached.

Aisthe blade, which ismade from a thin fiat strifp or band ofsteel, preferably bent into spiral orm and drawn out in an axial direction at its inner end, as shown in Figs-1 and 2, into the shapeof a cone or volute. It may, however, be made in the form of a flat spiral, so that the cutting edge will all be in the same plane. volute or conical spiral, the inner end is unsupported at the back of the blade, as shown in Fig. l, and is therefore capable of yielding in an axial direction and making a long progressive shear cut. Fhe blade may also be made of annular or cylindrical form and attached at one end only to the handle, the distance of the cutting edge gradually increasing in an axial direction from the handle and the projecting end of the blade being unsupported and capable of yielding axially.

B designates one of various forms'of handies to which the blade may be attached. It

is-rcpreseutcd in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawreversed in arrangement the blade or When it is made in the form of a its operation,

ings of a form in which it may be conveniently turned out of wood. To its squared end is attached, by means of a central rivet b, a circular metal disk 0, termed with a marginal flange 0, into which the spiral blade A is adapted to be sprung and detachably held by any suitable fastenings. As suitable means for fastening the blade in the socket-plate O of the-handle, studs a a, secured in opposite sides of the blade near its back and adapted to engage with openings 0' c in the flange c of said socket-plate, are shown. It is obvious that the parts of the fastening might be by providing the plate 0 with inwardly-projecting studs and forming corresponding slots or openings in that other forms of fastening might be employed with the same result.

The utensil herein shown and described as primarily designed fora chopping-knife'may be advantageously used as a meat-tenderer and with little or no change might also be used as a vegetable-masher. By constructing the blade in the form of a spiral of decreasing or variable radius from one end to the other a long cutting or working edge is obtained within a small compass, and by drawv ing out the spiral into the form of a cone or volute which is unsupported at one end the cutting or working edge of the blade readily adapts itself" to the. contour of the surface against which it wonks, such as the plane surface of a b ard or the concave surface of a chopping-b wl. The knife is made to operate with avshear cut, beginning atone end of the blade and progressing toward the opposite end.

The-hand is relieved of jar'by the spring of the blade, The chopper is caused to-rebound or recoil, thus assisting in and material forced between the coils or turns of the blade is ejeoted and thus prevented from clogging the knife. By making the blade detachable from the handle it may be more readily cleaned and sharpened. It may be sharpened by filingor by grinding.

in place of that shown, and each handle may be provided with a number of interchangeable blades, so that as one becomes dull, or in case it is broken, it may be replaced by a Any convenient form of handle may be used sharp or new blade, or blades of difierent kinds may be supplied with a single handle for different kinds of work.

Various c'hangesin the minor details of construction other than those. hereinbefore specifically mentioned may be made without departure from the principle and intended scope of the invention.

I claim- I 1. A kitchen utensil consisting of a suitable handle and a curved, spring-blade at- ,tached at one end to the handle with its back toward the handle, and having a spiral edge capable of yielding backward toward the handie gradually from its free toward its fixed end, substantially as described.

2. A kitchen utensil consisting of a suitable handle and a volute spiral spring-blade attached at one end to the handle with its back toward the handle, and having a spiral edge capable of yielding axially from its free end gradually toward its fixed end, substantially asdeshribed.

3. A kitchen utensil consisting of a suitable handle and a curved spring-blade adapted to be attached at one end-to the handle and havinga spiral edge capable of yielding backward toward the handle, said handle and blade having studs and, openings which are.

arranged to be engaged with each other by the compression and expansion of the blade,

In witness whereof Ihereto-aifix my signature in--presence of two witnesses.

EUGENE W. LEACH.

Witnesses: CHARLES M. UROH, ROY MILEs. 

